Mumbai, April 5 Maharashtra Deputy CM and NCP president Sunetra Pawar contacted state Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal on Sunday and urged him to ensure an unopposed by-election to the Baramati assembly segment, which she is contesting.
However, sources in the Congress indicated that the party is not willing to support her demand, and that a party candidate will file nominations on the last day of submitting papers on Monday.
A day earlier, Sunetra Pawar had sought the support of Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray in the April 23 by-election, which was necessitated due to the death of her husband and then Deputy CM Ajit Pawar in a plane crash in January.
Thackeray, whose party is a member of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, has not yet specified the Sena (UBT)’s stand on Sunetra Pawar’s demand.
The opposition NCP (SP) had already announced that it would not contest the by-election as a mark of respect for the late Ajit Pawar, who represented the Baramati segment.
Currently a Rajya Sabha member, Sunetra Pawar will file her nominations for the by-election on Monday.
Sources said that Sapkal will be present for the filing of nomination by a party candidate on Monday in Baramati, Pune district.
Ajit Pawar was an eight-time MLA from Baramati. In the 2019 assembly election, he had won the seat by a huge margin of 1.65 lakh votes. In 2024, he retained the seat by a difference of more than 1 lakh votes, defeating his nephew Yugendra Pawar.
Meanwhile, sources in Congress also indicated that the party is willing to contest the upcoming by-poll to the Rahuri assembly constituency in Ahilyanagar district if its ally, NCP (SP), decides not to contest.
The Rahuri seat fell vacant after the death of BJP legislator Shivaji Kardile.
Shiv Sena leader and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday appealed to all political parties to extend support to Sunetra Pawar and allow the by-poll to be held unopposed, citing a tradition in Maharashtra of not contesting elections necessitated by the death of a sitting representative.
"The Mahayuti stands firmly behind Sunetra Pawar. I appeal to all parties to respect convention. In such situations, there has been a tradition in the state to hold elections unopposed. All parties should support this spirit," he said in Thane.
Earlier, OBC activist Laxman Hake had announced that he was interested in contesting the by-election.